Safety device for turnstiles.



E. E. KENT.

SAFETY DEVICE POR TURNSTILES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB4,1913.

LQQQS, Patented A151221, 1914;

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

B. E. KENT.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TURNSTILES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE4, 1013. 1,093,935. Panam A191121, 1914L PATENT onnicn.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TURNSTILES.

Speczoation ci' Letters Patent.

acnted Apr. 2l. 1914.

Application tiled. June 4. 3.913. Serial No. 771.585.

and uset'ul vinuroveuunits in Safety Devices' 4t'or 'i`urnstilcsoie. specification.

This invention reates to safety devices for turnstiles.

.it unattended exits from parks, piaces of amusement and other 'places to which an admission Ylee is charged, it customary to provide turns-tiles equipped with a ratchet and paw] to prevent people 'l'roln passing;` in, but allowing them to pass freely ontl of the niiich the t'ollou'iiig` is a park. Where people use the saine turnstile in rapid succession there` is always danger that a person passing into it may be struck in the side or stomach by one of its arms, or may he caught or cri-:shed between an arin and the adjacent stationary all., because the arnis have been set spinning by the person next previously raissinf..r through. AnotherV danger is caused by the arms' swinging; backward a little` after passingy their proper po sition to be at' These dangers are known to regular users, and are a. constant cause ol1 dread to the more, tiinid or feeble. and especially to u'oincn. Notu'ithstaiuiing the care usually' exercised painful accidents iarcasionally happen: and companies that.

proif'ide such tnrnstiles tor their patrons receive demands for payment ot considerable sinus annuaily as damages. Even though no accident occurs the extreme care which' users must exercise at crowded periods, and the incidental delay to all while each is waiting for opportunity to pass througli'safely, causes annoy'iance to users, restricts the capacity of the exit, and rendersI such turnstiies especially unfit Where there is any dant,fier of a crowd of people either escaping from a tire yor for any other reason desiring to pass in haste'. So far as am aware no turnstile has been hitherto invented which will accomplish the main purpose of .such turnstiles vithout 'the 'dangers mentioned.

Elimination ot such dangers is one of the i purposes of thepreeentinvention.

vtrolled by a ratchet 16 lt is also au object ot the invention to increase the output ol" suclrturnstilcs.

It is a lurther object to contri'il the operation of the turnsiile automatically so that. no unit-ter hou' ignorant. reckless or even vicious a precedingl user luay he. it is safe i for the next person to enter the turnstile the. instant the iirst has passed: and it is also the object to provide the other advantages which characterize the construction hereinafter described.

Assuch apparatus is used by all sorts of people. includingF strangers who may not hare learned houv to operate the device, it is necessary to the best form of the invention that the device should be operatable by all corners. without previous instruction; and the invention provides a structure to accom` plish this als n the accompanying drawings. which illustrate one cnibodin'xent ot' theinvention: Figure 1 is a plan; Fig'. 2 is au elevation ot'a. traifnient at the base. in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1: Fin, is an elevation showing' parts at the base and in the adjacent passage. in sect-ion on the line S--Bot Fig. 1; Fig. -l a plan of parts. in section on, the line #lh-toi Fir'. 5i. on a larger scale; y'and Fig. 5 is a perspectiveiillustratingr a modification.

4ln Fig. 1 of the drawings a turustile is represented. in which four arms 10 are surrounded by walls that are ilnpassable except at the ent-rance 11 and the exit 12. As the features that constitute the invention may be applied to turnstiles of many types. the details which pertain strictly to` the turnstile, and its mounting'. need not he shown or described. The Wall at the right is marked 13, that at the left 14 and there are Stationary bars at, 15 which preventally person from entering,rl at the .regular exit 1Q passing around the back 4of the turnstile.

in the embodimentv of the invention here.

represented the action of the turnstile iscon-l seen best in Figs. land 4,*and a pawl .17 pivoted on a rigid'axis at 18. The ratchet stile.; The teeth of the ratchet comprise and reaching.r the regular entrance 1.1 bv

of peculiar ,sha-pe,-

vis rigld on the central stock 9 of the turndifferent surfaces marked respectively a. Z and e. A single succession of these three makes a complete quarter of a circle. and corresponds to the distance which the apparatus turns in passing from one position where itI is locked. at rest, and ready for a person to enter safely, as illustrated in Fig. l, to the next position where it is again at. rest., and ready for a person lo enter safely. which Fig. l serves also to illustrate, although in that position the individual arms Would have been turned each through a quarterof a complete revolution. The surface a. is lterminated by an abutment o at one end and an abutment c at the other end, the abutment (1, being higher than the other but each beingitoo high to pass the pawl 17. when the lat-ter is in the position illustrated in' Fig. et. Rotation ot the turnstile is therefore impossible in either di rection. Under this condition ot things` the arms 10 occupy the positions A.B, (l. l).

except for whatever short distance the short surface a allows;them to swing. this being a littlel wider than the pawl to make sure vot catching. The pawl 17 is maintained normally in this locking engagement. with the ratchet wheel 16 by a spring 19, but may be retracted by swinging about its aXis 1S, when the tail of the pawl is pressed to the left in Fig. 4 by a lug 20. 1When thus retracted far enough to clear the elevation ot abutment a, the ratchet wheel, and the turnstile. can rotate in the direction of the arroW, the end of the pawl sliding along on the surface b and then on the surface u until.

it reaches the next depression a and is stopped from further movement by the abutment a at the farther end thereof. away from Where it was stopped b v the last previous abutment a. The surfacesI i and c each extend gradually outward. 'l`hevv are separated by an abutment r" approxnnalel \V midway between the two locked positions of the turnstile just described. which con stitutes a step down from l to e. adapted lo engage the pawl to preventithe ratchet from being turned backward. An opera ting lever 2l having a limited possibility of movement is provided for moving the lug- 20. Tn the embodiment 'of the invention here illustrated this lever is rigid on an axle or fulcrunl rod 22 on which the lug QO'isalso rigid, and is set in the 'loor of the passage which persons traverse While using the turnstile and is normally held upward by spring QG. To limit its depression an abutment 23 is so arranged that the movement of lug 20, when lever 21 is depressed to its utmost, corre` spends to a swinging of the pawl 17 outward just enough to clear any ot' the abutments e but not enough to clear either abutment a ar abutment c, both of which terminate at greater radial distances from the center of iioeses -turnstile so that it can be rotated in the direction of the arrow, but. not so that it can be rotated in the centrar)v direi-tion. lt will be seen that the lever `21 is in elfeet a depressible section ot the lloor of the passage through which persons go in using the turnstile. It is a further teature of the invention that this` depressible section is eonstructed far enough within that part ol the passage covered by the travel ot the turnstile, so that no person standing naturaltv outside that area ai the entrance ll can be effectively standing upon il. and preferabl so that no person who is barelywithin that area can be effectively upon it. lt ends far enough from the exit 112 so that a person passing out or about to pass out there will have passed ollI of it; and it is located with respect to the turnstile arm position B so that any person about to press on that arm to operate the turnstile will necessarily be standing on it and holding the lever ll depressed until he has progressed far enough. and has rotated the turnstile far enough. for the pawl 17 to have cleared the abutment a and passed upon the surface I.

il'vhen arranged as illustrated. the arm 10 which is seen in position il. barring the passage in Fig. 1. will have traveled about 45 to position B. about at the upper end of the wall 13, when 'the abutment c passes the pawl and thus prevents regression of the turnstile from this position. lVhen the arm has gone nearly J0o to position C. the pawl engages beyond the next abutment a and again prevents regression of the turnstile arms. Although the pawl 1T is capable ot' passing over the extreme height of these abutments n. and r'. the spring 19 vielding when it does' so. nevertheless` the lever il eannot .swing far enough to malte the pawl eleur these abutments but only tal' enough lor it to clear the abuln'ienl (1.". Consequently, the ajiparatus cannot be manipulated by the public so as to unlock it in such manner as to permit the turnstile to lurn in the direction opposite tothat of the arrow. lt `will be understood that the pawl itseltl may be covered with a shield (not illustrated) or may be otherwise so arranged as to be inaccessible to the public to prevent anyone from getting at it directly with a stick or the. like, in order to push it further against the spring 19 than it can be pushed by the lever 21.

Vithin the limits of location explained above. considerable variation in position of lever i2,- may be practised. the position which is at present believed tobe best being illus trated in the drawing. iVith the lever in this position a person passes olf of it while still Within the confined areay of turnstile and while the danger of hurting himself constrains hini ordinarily to he managing the apparatus Twith care. if such'la userV give a push 'to-fthe tnrnstile w'l1e1i-tleparting, the pawl will he in position to stop it with the a arnisat positions A, B, C, and-the apparatus ready 'tor the next person to enter.

rilhe ahiitment a eliminates the danger of the arm illustrated at position D swinging past thn positionl A and striking a person in the side while he, or sho, is entering at Il, and the abutment a eliminates the danger of the arm which has just arrived at position 'B'swinging backward and thus hitting a person in front. The entrance is open so the nest person can enter as soon as the arm iih I ated at Ei. has reached A. ny person bho desires may wait until the positiom it, B, have heen reached; when the tiofnstiie will he absolutely at rest;"bn t if one enter ahead oi that, e., While the We g from the positions D', AX, can be done witheeletyf if ediately the-position A l have reached the lever 21 and i by' the time that the ies the position A where ordini. come to rest. 'lhearrn is Free 'torn by that position, but n becanse the user is already meen he safe. iVhat more s is that aperson attempting Univ in danger, in tljfrnstiles as beingv incl( by the next position A. But it he .le slow, and is still in the dan- '1e has not reached the lever 2l, r: t hereore the pawl 1? will automatically checa; the arm at position A, whence it will he f lCID ed :an instant later when the person ie lever 2l. The turnstile air vn may `roughly to be divided into a e Il", 'the tnrnstile being automatilocled the neer is there, e., absence from the lever space), and ce, the tnrnstile being automatio tnrn forward when thev user is id former losing in a place where for the turnstilc to swing I, and the latter where it is desired that pf" ire y.

crdcr to keep the apparatus perinaf in condition and unaffected by aecnrnnlation ci dirt,l a flexible apron 24 de of leather, l iolenni or other suitable d for excluding dirt. A

1in' tr i .'ovidetl under the lever 2l, ideralole amount ci' dirt may erfering with the depresr rates another embodiment of n, in which the lever 2l is to a plank-22 bolted on the does so somewhat slowly, not arm in front ci nimh.

prising the combination, with floor in the passageway through the turnstile,'and a lug 20 fast on the lever 21 engages the tail of a pawl 17 that is adapted to engage the ratchet Wheel 1.6 under the position A instead of under position B. l threshold ,strip` 24 may be used as in the other case. This'c'onstruction is somewhat simpler, can always be easily cleaned by swinging the lever 21 tar upward on its hinge, and involves no excavation of the floor, but can be put inv place anywhere by merely bolting'down the plank 22". The spring 26 is attached to the under side of the lever 2 Many variations may be made from the structure hereinbefore described without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims, the object'ot' which is to cover in the patent whatever features of novelty exist in the invention disclosed.A In particular, however, it may be noted that the lever is not necessarily located in position to be operated by the feet of the user; and that a. different type or arrangement of pawl and ratchet, or of `locking mechanism, may he need.

I claim as my invention:

l. A safety device for a turnstile comprising the combination,'with the turnstile, of ratchet and pawl tooth-abutments for preventing rotation .in forward direction; higher ahnt-ments, fao ingoppositely, for preventing rotation in backward direction; and means positioned to "be actuated by a person passing through to release' the lower ahutnents without reonV leasingthe higher.

2. A safety device for a turnstile comprising the combination, with the turnstile, of

ratchet and pawl mechanism having teethY facing in two directions and adapted to prevent rotation of the turnstile in either 4direction beyond points predetermined there by; and means, engaged automatically by a person passing through, to release the teeth opposing his passage, leaving the others locked.

safety device for a turnstile coniprising the combination, with the turnstile.v of means automatically stopping rotation of the turnstile in either direction at positions predetermined as being safe; and releasing means for rotation in one direction positioned in the path of and adapted to be aetn-4 ated by a person entering the turnstile.

4; A safety device for a turnstile cointhe turnstile, of means automatically preventing rotation of "thev turnstile arms across the turnstile. entrance.; and releasing means actuated automaticallyhy aA person passing through the turnstile and restricteol'by location so as to be actuated by such person only when he has passed the entrance.

sov

5. A safety device for a tn'rnstile comprising the combination, with the turnstile, of

means automatically preventingrotation of the tnrnstile arms beyond predetermined positions; releasing means adapted to he :ictu- :xted by roni'aet of n person pziesing through, the message through the turnstle being divided into predetermined sirens of safety, and oi danger, und said releasing ineens being arranged for operative Contact of the le ,person therewith only in the predetermined Safe yarea.

Signed by me at Boston, Mass., this 28th day of Muy, 1913.

EVERETT F. KENT..

lVitnese-es: i

Josnrn 'l`. BRENNAN, ANNA B. LINDSAY. 

